Health Services will sponsor The Great American Smoke-Out on Thursday, November 17 to advocate for smoking prevention in conjunction with the American Cancer Society.

The first Great American Smoke-Out was held in 1976 in California, but soon picked up traction by the American Cancer Society who has lead the campaign since. The goal of the campaign is to support those who smoke cigarettes and other tobacco products and stand as a prominent proponent in creating smoke-free environment in public areas.

The Great American Smoke-Out encourages people to support a smoker and help them make it a whole day without smoking. The primary goal is to hopefully help “those who still smoke to quit at least for one day.”

Health Services will guide support for students, faculty, and staff by providing a display, brochures, and information on the Connecticut Quit Line to help “Kick the Habit.”

As of June 2015, the University of New Haven has been a tobacco free campus, but there are still about one in five adults who smoke cigarettes, which results an approximately 32 percent of all cancer deaths. Thanks to the raise of anti-smoking laws among states, the smoking population has decreased.

For more information, reach out to Health Services or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.